


Daybreak

by LyriaBlackFrost



Category: Sengoku Basara
Genre: Fluff, Friendly fight, M/M, Rival Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-24 06:24:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19167610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyriaBlackFrost/pseuds/LyriaBlackFrost
Summary: Deep inside, neither Yukimura nor Masamune wanted those friendly disputes to end. If one of them were to fall, the other would lose not only a rival, but someone they came to love and trust above everything else.It was time to stop running away and do something about it.





	Daybreak

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a birthday gift to Old, who is the Yukimura to my Masamune - which basically means I'm the cool guy and he screams a lot.  
> Happy birthday again! And thank you for allowing me to post this fic here. I'm very glad you liked it so much! :D
> 
> For everyone else, I hope you enjoy it!

Yukimura crossed that field, his heart pounding with each step as he approached the place where, his men informed, a lone samurai was waiting — blue garments, a crescent moon on his helmet, a single eye as piercing and enthralling as a thunderstorm.

It wasn’t new or uncommon for Date Masamune to appear when he least expected it, and yet, every single time, Yukimura was unable to conceal his excitement. Both clans were aware of their leaders’ long and strong rivalry, referring to them as “ _sun and moon_ ”, or even “ _tiger and dragon_ ”. Years had passed since their weapons first met in battle, and Yukimura knew he would never forget that feeling: as soon as that gaze fell upon him, it was as if his very soul had been moved. Since that day, the two warriors had been through a lot, facing deadly enemies side by side, being each other’s support in their time of need. It came to a point where, despite never saying it out loud, Yukimura started to think of Masamune as a close friend.

And, deep inside, he knew Masamune felt the same about him.

With years of battling together, as allies and as rivals, they had learned to read each other, always searching for new ways to get their opponent by surprise, forming a bond that was stronger than anything they had ever experienced in their lives. Both had grown, as leaders and as men, and, at least for Yukimura, a great part of it was thanks to that need to prove himself to Masamune, the desire to show him that he was still worthy of being called his rival. In that same way, Masamune never disappointed him, making that already fiery admiration grow with every encounter.

As the two leaders that fought for the unification of Japan, all eyes were on them. For many, they were enemies, just waiting for a chance to kill each other and claim that land. It wasn’t surprising, of course: if anyone else was in their place, that would certainly be the case. Yet, despite pretending to not notice it, Yukimura knew Masamune, just like himself, wasn’t willing to end things like that.

How many times the one-eyed-dragon had Yukimura on his knees? And how many times the young cub of Kai had done the same to him? And still, how many times had they found an excuse to end that battle before one of them could meet their end? Many times, to the point that he couldn’t keep track of them anymore.

But not enough.

Yukimura wasn’t ashamed of it, and Takeda Shingen himself said he didn’t have a reason to be. Shingen had told him in private that a worthy rival was more important than power, and that a strong leader only is at his best when he has someone in his mind. _His people are only part of the reason_ _… A man needs something more to keep going_ , he had said, and Yukimura deeply agreed with those words.

Date Masamune was his reason. Every day, he couldn’t wait to see that stormy gaze and the pleased smile on his lips when their weapons finally clashed. It was like a fierce fire was burning within his chest, and, more often than not, he let it go wild, showing a side of himself that was more pure and honest than any other. The _true_ Sanada Yukimura that no one but that man would ever come to see.

He saw that familiar silhouette in the distance, his iconic helmet shining under the moonlight. A smile took Yukimura’s face as he hastened his steps, grabbing that man’s attention. Date Masamune smiled as well.

“I was waiting for you, Sanada Yukimura,” uttered Masamune in a low voice.

“Lord Masamune…”

Yukimura halted a few steps away from him to catch his breath, his hands gripping around his spears. Masamune widened his smile, clearly amused by his excitement.

“So, how will it be?” he asked in that striking husky voice. “Are we fighting each other, or what?”

“You don’t even need to ask.” Yukimura raised his weapons in front of his body, pointing them at Masamune. “Come with everything you’ve got!”

_There it was_ … The thunderstorm in Masamune’s eye. He reached for his six claws, raising them all together. They gazed at each other for what seemed to be an eternity — the calm before the storm.

Then, in silent agreement, both charged simultaneously.

Masamune attacked with his claws, and Yukimura was quick to block them with his spears. How many times had they crossed their weapons like that? How many times did they fight until both were too exhausted to move? And how many times had they made that same promise neither of them was willing to keep?

Too many times. Not enough.

Yukimura moved his weapons to opposite sides, causing Masamune to open his arms, aiming his knee on his opponent’s torso. Masamune took a step back, so, despite Yukimura’s knee meeting his body, it didn’t do with enough strength. Masamune used that chance to return the favor, circling his left claws around that spear, bringing them down on an attack from above. Yukimura, being nimble, evaded the attack by throwing his body to the side. As expected, neither Masamune nor Yukimura were holding back. If one of them were to falter, it would mean his certain death.

Yukimura was the one to attack, but it wasn’t enough to go past Masamune’s keen eye. He blocked it with his claws, forming an “x” between their faces, and their gazes met for a second, eyes taken by a passionate glimmer. _Who would be the winner when it came to pure strength?_

A mutual desire to disarm their opponent resulted in one of Yukimura’s spears and five of Masamune’s swords flying. The loud, successive clangs of the fallen weapons surrounded the two rivals, but, instead of trying to recover them or interrupting that battle, both tightened their grip on their remaining weapons.

_No_ _… Not enough._

Holding his sword with both hands, Masamune jumped and charged at Yukimura, who parried the blow using the body of his spear. He inclined it so he could move to the right, rotating the weapon to free it, immediately bringing it down on Masamune’s direction. Masamune eluded that sharp blade, avoiding a fatal wound. However, Yukimura’s spear succeeded in scratching his face, cutting the leather strip that kept his helmet in place. It slowly fell from Masamune’s head, hitting the ground with a sharp metallic sound. Masamune glared at him, wiping out a thin trail of blood from that cut with the back of his hand.

“Not bad…” he muttered. There was an ecstatic gleam in his eye, and the corner of his lips curved in a contained smile.

Yukimura returned the smile, raising his spear once again. The battle resumed with furious and consecutive attacks, inflicting small wounds that only seemed to increase the fire in their souls. In many ways, their fight was more like a dance than a battle, with both of them moving in almost perfect synchrony as they tried to read the next movements, reacting in accordance. They were too familiar to each other’s fighting style to be caught by surprise most of the times, and it only made their succeeded attempts even more rewarding.

Their loud, hoarse breaths showed that they were both close to their limits. With that in mind, Yukimura prepared himself to risk it all in a final move. Their blades met with violent strength, and both of their weapons were plucked away from their hands, falling out of their reach. They curved their bodies, trying to catch their breaths. Every muscle on Yukimura’s body ached and begged for him to stop. He raised his eyes, meeting Masamune’s intense gaze.

_Not enough._

They stood up again, breathing heavily, staring at each other for a moment, before charging with their fists raised, continuing that fight in the most simple and personal manner possible. Masamune hit Yukimura’s chin, while Yukimura went for his stomach. He felt the taste of blood, his heart pounding painfully. His whole body burned with exhaustion, but he couldn’t stop… He didn’t want to.

They both took a step back before charging with new attacks. Punches, kicks, headbutts… They came in an endless sequence. The sound of their tired groans surrounded them. Loud, intense… They looked at each other with bloodied faces and glimmering eyes.

Yukimura’s knuckle connected with the side of Masamune’s face, and a sharp pain took Yukimura’s mouth and cheekbone when his opponent’s blow reached him in unison. They stood in place for a moment, then, a second later, fell on their knees, gasping for air, their energy and willpower depleted. Yukimura let himself fall on his back, hearing Masamune do the same beside him.

_How he had missed that_ _…_

A wave of contentment filled his chest, and Yukimura laughed, being accompanied by Masamune, their voices echoing together in that silent night.

“We never change, do we?” asked Yukimura.

“Sure seems like it,” Masamune chuckled. “You gave me a hard time, Yukimura… I can’t go easy on you.”

“As if you ever did, Lord Masamune,” Yukimura smirked at him.

“Good point.”

Yukimura closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, his body finally starting to relax.

“Moments like this make me feel… alive,” he admitted. “I’m always waiting for the next time you’ll come, so we can do this again.”

“Is that so?”

“How about you, Lord Masamune?”

“I thought it was obvious already.”

A light smile took Yukimura’s lips.

“Maybe it is.”

But his smile soon faded, when the adrenaline from the battle started to give place to rational thoughts.

“For how long will we be able to keep this going?” he asked.

He wasn’t very specific, but Masamune understood the meaning of his words.

“For how long it takes,” Masamune’s voice was serious. “A whole lifetime, if we need to.”

“But people are expecting one of us to win and unify this country. If it doesn’t happen, there might be some kind of uprising, and—”

“Calm down, Yukimura…” Masamune interrupted him. “You’re going too far ahead.”

“But…”

Yukimura stopped himself, unsure of how to proceed. Masamune watched him for a while.

“You want to unify this country?” he asked.

Yukimura faced him, slightly surprised by that question.

“Of course!” he said.

“More than anything else?”

He felt a sting in his chest, averting his gaze, embarrassed by his own lack of resolve.

“Almost…”

“Same here.”

Masamune’s low, sincere voice made Yukimura look at him again.

“What are we supposed to do, then?” he asked.

“There’s more than one way to unify a country.”

“What do you mean?”

Masamune turned his body to the side, facing Yukimura, who, without thinking, did the same.

“You won’t like what I’m about to say,” said Masamune, “but why don’t we follow Ieyasu’s idealized path?”

Yukimura raised his brow, confused.

“Bonds,” proceeded Masamune. “Let’s make an alliance, Sanada Yukimura.”

Everything went silent inside Yukimura’s head. He stared at Masamune, wide-eyed, lips partially open, unable to come up with an answer for quite a while.

“Are you… serious?” he asked.

“Why? Are you that much against it?”

“No, I…”

As realization fell upon him, Yukimura felt the fire in his chest burn bright again, restoring his depleted energy. He jumped on his feet, without using his hands, looking at Masamune.

“Of course!” he answered in a loud voice, placing a hand over his own chest. “I, Sanada Yukimura, humbly accept your proposal, Date Masamune!”

Masamune furrowed his brow at him.

“How can you still jump after…?” he interrupted himself, shaking his head with an amused smile. “Why am I still surprised?”

Saying that, he stood up as well, facing Yukimura, offering him his right hand.

“Let’s seal it, then.”

“That simple?”

“We can formalize it later.” Masamune showed a brief grimace. “Not in the mood for it right now.”

Yukimura’s face brightened as he let out a brief laugh, extending his hand, holding Masamune’s.

“I hope you won’t change your mind until then,” he said.

“I can guarantee that I won’t.”

The seconds passed, but neither of them tried to let go of the other’s hand. There was silence, followed by inquiring gazes, as they tried to find an answer in that subtle gesture. Instead of letting go, they closed that small distance, eyes still on each other.

It was almost instinctive: Yukimura’s hand on Masamune’s waist, Masamune’s on his face, both slowly shutting their eyes. They drew closer, until their lips finally touched.

Yukimura had thought about it before, and now, he believed the same could be said of Masamune. After those long, exciting battles, he was always left mostly satisfied, but also feeling that something, a small piece inside his chest, was still missing.

Now, it had finally found its place.

They broke the kiss, looking at each other without stepping away. Masamune caressed Yukimura’s cheek with his thumb.

“It would be better if no one knew about this second part,” he muttered in a playful tone.

Without thinking, Yukimura wrapped his arms around Masamune’s body, resting his face on his shoulder with a small chuckle. Masamune soon did the same, without another word, holding Yukimura close to him.

_A country unified by them_ … He could see that working. Both still had much to learn as leaders, yet, there was a solid stability between them that made Yukimura believe their alliance would be an unbreakable one.

He knew, no matter how much time passed, they wouldn’t change. They would fight until the sunset, then lie side by side on the ground, quietly smiling to the stars above — silent, but satisfied, united by that bond that went deeper than rivalry, friendship, or even romantic love. A bond no one but them could ever come to comprehend.

And then, when the daybreak came, the two of them would rule together as one.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this fic!


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